Risk Takers and Heart Breakers
by selaships
Summary: Emma's finds out there's a lot more to being the Chosen One than she thought. Jax is trying to turn himself around. Andi find someone, who may or may not be the right person. Mia gets herself into a mess that marks her life forever. Things are getting serious, and the drama will tear people apart. Rated T. Contains lots of ships.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! I'm Sela:) and this is my first EWW fanfiction. My previous works are for House of Anubis. I really wanted to write this, I don't know what inspired me to write it.**

 **This story is focused mainly on Emma, Daniel, Jax, Andi, and Mia. There will not be much Maddie and Diego, and there's no Philip :(**

 **Even though I'm jemma shipper, there will be some Demma in this story. That's just my plan for it. If there is anything you want to see incorporated into this story, just message me!**

 **I don't really wanna spoil anything, but there are so many awesome Jemma fanfics and I just wanna be a little different! So couples will be Demma, and maybe some surprises in there ;) I'm not quite ready to reveal them yet. They might not be what you think.**

 **Takes place after season 3, since I wrote it before season 4.**

 **Emma**

I chose Jax. When I asked myself who I wanted to be with, my mind led my hand to Jax's own. End of story, I chose Jax.

But that's just the thing. The story hasn't ended. I'm left with this dissatisfied feeling, like I'm only half full. I think I'm broken, because Jax is absolutely perfect. He treats like I'm his Chosen One. The only girl he could ever want...and honestly, I don't even deserve it. Everyday he tells I'm sweet and beautiful, so why don't I blush anymore when he says those things?

Why don't I get the exciting feeling in my heart when he surprises me with a loving touch, why doesn't my heart race when he kisses me? It always used to, before we became official. Before I decided to push Danny away for good. Maybe that was the mistake. Maybe Jax was just a backup if things didn't work out with Danny. I didn't think Daniel would want me with him forever, so I tricked myself into choosing Jax. I choose with head, not my heart. It's one of the biggest mistakes a person can make.

Maybe I have only ever worked with Jax when Danny was there. Jax didn't want him to have me, and the whole messed up loved triangle drove Jax and I closer. Now that we're together, there's not much more we can do. Jax and I only seemed meant for each other when there was some evil magic thing, or yes, Daniel, driving us apart.

Now that I've settled for Jax, my heart knows I've messed it up. I want Daniel. I know I sound indecisive, wanting what I can't have. I know I sound slutty and lovesick and emotional...but when he looks at me with his warm gaze from across the hall, I feel like melting. Jax hasn't made me feel that way in a long time. Does that mean I simply don't love him anymore, or does it mean I'm just a careless high school girl who wants to have the guy she isn't dating? I don't know who I've become, and that scares me more than anything.

Am I changing from my good girl ways, or do I just love Danny so much that I've stopped loving Jax all together? I don't wanna break Jax's heart. He's been so happy in these past few weeks since I've chosen him. I'm not sure if I'm ready to shatter his happiness that he's found with me because of my own selfish affection towards my ex, the boy that I didn't choose.

I've been terrible at making decisions lately, and it's becoming harmful to me as well as everyone I touch. What happened to the sweet little good witch? I seem to be turning into a heartless and heartbreaking witch. The thought of that terrifies the good witch I know I am. I know what I have to do, but how can I possibly do it? It would mean breaking Jax's heart, shattering all his pure, good thoughts of me. How would Daniel feel if I told him I changed my mind? If I told him I wanted him back? He might not even want to be with me anymore after what I did to him. Did I break his heart, too? Is that all I'm worth?

 **Daniel**

I am in love with Emma Alonso. I have no doubt about this. She is the person I always think about first. She is the girl who crushed me when she took Jax over me. She is my first love, and I want her back in my arms, where I am sure she needs to be.

So, in a very Daniel Miller-like fashion, I have devised a plan. If I want her back, I need her to want to be with me. I can't force into anything. If she has any feelings left for me at all, I'm confident my plan will work. My eyes are constantly watching her, and she seems hesitant in her relationship with Jax. It's like she's uncomfortable and aware of the fact that she isn't as taken with Jax as he is with her. I've seen her staring at me during class. I can sense her attraction towards me, like she's...changed her mind.

Most guys wouldn't take a girl back after choosing another guy, but I know with Emma and I, it's because we are meant to be together and she knows it. I'm her first love, I know Emma will always come back to me. Frankly, I grateful that she's woken up from the romance trance that no good Jax put her in. Jax is so infatuated with Emma, he seems like a stalker to me. If Emma was interested, she would treat Jax like he treats her, but she doesn't. I hope that I'm right is guessing that I'm what she wants, because if I'm not, then my whole plan is practically a waste. I could never let Emma suffer by being in relationship she doesn't want to be in. Not like Jax. I can see his selfishness. Or is he stupid enough to be believe that what they have going on is genuine? I think Jax's feelings have become unrequited.

Emma is what I want. Together, we'll make each other happy. We'll make each other better. Getting her back is what unplanned to accomplish. Jax won't get in my way.

I'm always staring at Emma. When she catches me, I stare harder. I hover my eyes over her body, and her face, the only face I ever look at that way. I stare at her intensely until she blushes. Then I give her a sexy little smirk, something she'd consider unexpected from me. I can tell I'm making her the perfect kind of uncomfortable. Whenever I get the chance to get close to her, I'll slip my hand around her waist, or rest it on her knee. How do I know this isn't borderline creepy? I see her goofy, but guilty, little smile when I do those things. I don't think Jax has caught onto it yet, but I've seen Andi giving me a look or two.

I want to kiss her so badly. I want to wrap her in my arms and whisper meaningful words into her ears. I want her to be my one girl. And it pains me because I know she wants the same thing, but she's so sweet and caring that she doesn't want to hurt Jax. But it's in a friendly way. She's never truly been anything but his friend. She just didn't want to hurt him when he got feelings for her, and she tricked herself into settling for him. I will make her the happiest Chosen One ever to exist. Behind this scheming shark is a boy whose heart belongs to Emma Alonso. I want her heart to belong with me.

 **So that was the beginning! I hoped you liked it...even if you ship Jemma, like me. Don't worry, Jax will have somebody to love;)**

 **Please review! It would mean the world to me! I really want to make this something people really enjoy in this fandom. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I promise you'll like it after I get the first few chapters up and can get farther in the story:) please give this a chance. I'm most excited about the Mia storyline, coming in chapter three! I know it seems like I'm treating Jax bad, but he's my favorite and I want to write him getting through this.**

 **I LOVE jemma, so you can still read if you ship jemma. Okay?**

 **-Sela**


	2. Chapter 2

**A mix between different points of views. Some first and some third. Just the way this works. Just read, please. I hope you like it. It's not my best, because Emma and Daniel are really challenging for me in this story, but it's making me a better writer.**

 **Daniel**

So I've been shamelessly flirting with Emma for more than a week. I'm about to crack, and I know now is the right time to make a move.

I may seem malicious in my attempts to get Emma back, but what can I say?

I'm doing it for love, and I've changed. I'm become more straightforward. More dominant. More aware. I'm not a bad guy...just persistent. The tiniest bit desperate. It's kind of pathetic, but I'm sure it will get Emma's attention.

You could call me a jerk and a girlfriend stealer, but what can I do when the girl I love wants to be with me?

 **Daniel &Emma(third person)**

"Emma," Daniel breathed, brushing his nose against her cheek. He had her, alone and cornered in the boys locker room. He finally managed to lure her in here, and as soon as she entered, He grabbed her with whirlwind intensity, and pinned her against a wall. He put his hand on her back, right above her bottom. And he actually blushed. Only Emma could make him blush like that.

And Emma was bright red. She tried to not look at him, but failed. She couldn't break eye contact.

"You know I shouldn't, Danny," Emma whispered. Her heart was racing so fast she though it might explode. She was so turned on right now. Daniel was being so dominating, something she never saw from him when they were dating. This is exactly what both of them wanted.

"You want to Emma. You're not happy with Jax, I know it. You guys aren't gonna make it work. He's never gonna love you like I can, Emma. Let me love you. Let me kiss you so you forget about Jax."

Daniel didn't waste anytime, slamming her against the wall, grabbing her ass with one hand and tangling his other hand in her hair. He slammed his lips into hers. Emma knew that Daniel was what she truly wanted. He slipped his tongue in her mouth, wanting to feel as close to her as possible. Emma became weak in the knees, feeling as if she might just die from pleasure. She knew cheating was wrong, but Daniel made everything seem so right. He had never kissed her like this, never grabbed her ass or kissed her with tongue before. This was a new Daniel, and she was loving him. And yes, he made her forget about Jax.

"I never stopped loving you, Emma," Daniel said in a whisper as he created space between their mouths. She could still feel his hot breath on her cheek. She knew she felt the same way, and pulled him back in for another hot kiss.

 **The Phonecall**

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jax, it's Emma."

"Oh hey, Em. I was just thinking about-"

"Stop...Please Jax. You're just going to make this harder."

"What are talking about?

...Wait, you're breaking up with me?"

"I hooked up with Danny today. I cheated. I don't want to be with you anymore. Daniel's been playing games with me, and I've played along. I've felt unsatisfied in this relationship for a long time, and I-I just know it's not headed in the right direction. We're not headed in the right direction. I'm sorry. I just...just don't feel anything for you any...anymore."

"Emma, are you crying? Emma, don't cry. Please don't cry. I can't stand it when youre crying. It just makes me wanna cry."

"See? I cheated on you, but you're still more concerned with how I-I'm feeling? I used to be the sweet and caring one-"

"You never stopped."

"-But Jax, I did something gross. And what's worse is I would do it again. I wanna be with Daniel. I'm sorry...so sorry. You don't deserve to be treated like this. But I can't be in this relationship anymore. It's not making me happy."

"I understand. Goodbye, Emma."

"Jax-"

 **Emma**

His goodbye sounded like a 'forever' goodbye. Like he was done with me. I'd chewed up his love and spit it out. I cheated. I deserved that goodbye. I had done something horrible. But I couldn't be with him when I loved Danny. I wouldn't be fair. Not to me, him, or Daniel.

I feel awful. I just hope he doesn't hate me for being so selfish. My back and forth between boys is even getting on my nerves. But I've made my final decision.

 **Jax**

I hung up the phone and screamed,

"Dammit!"

I welcome hot tears, my new friend. Somehow I knew I'd meet them soon, and that Emma would be the cause. I don't why I've tried to make us work. I knew somehow we wouldn't. The best thing I can do is untangle myself from Emma, and stop my feelings for her. They are only causing me to hurt more, in reality.

Last time I'd really cried was when my mom died. From then, I built up this wall. I hid my emotions. But then I met Emma. Thing is, we were just not meant to be together. I guess that's why I'm crying. The girl that taught me how to feel...broke my heart

 **Emma**

I just will have to feel awful for the next few days. I won't be able to bear seeing Jax miserable at school. Daniel wants to make our relationship public, but I think we need a few days. I would seem mean to be holding hands with Jax yesterday and Daniel today. People would say things. I can't get a bad rep. What would my dad hear I'm the hallways? What will Andi think? I don't want to ponder on it.

As I arrive at school, I realize news of my cheating has spread. I get looks from everyone, I see Jax surrounded by a cloud of younger girls trying to comfort him, in hopes of maybe being his rebound or something. Daniel stays away from me. He understands, and I'm so grateful.

I want to drown in my guilt.

 **Jax**

I feel like a car has run over my head.

I know that Emma is a great person, and I feel like a fool for letting Daniel entice her with his ways. I've heard the rumors. One girl says she saw them come out of a classroom together, post make out, looking like a rumpled mess. Some random shark member saying he heard him bragging to a friend about French kissing her and grabbing her ass. I feel sick hearing about it. Girls try to comfort me, but I know what their intentions are. I don't want anything to do with any of them. I don't want to look at Emma.

I don't know why the most kind, loving person had to shatter my heart. Emma was the one who gave it to me in the first place. I've lost my first love to her own first love. I guess first loves stick with you, and you're willing to do anything for them. I still love Emma, but I'm making it my mission to stop loving such the wonderful girl who just doesn't care about me. How could I mess up so bad? She chose me and couldn't even keep her.

 **Andi**

Emma really screwed up. I should've stopped her before it happened. Why didn't I see this coming?

Emma had been telling me that she wasn't happy with Jax. Even though he did everything right, her heart yearned for Daniel. And Daniel, the bastard, was totally playing games to get her back. I would hear him saying stuff to Jax during Sharks practice. He would kinda brag about all he knew about Emma, basically bullying Jax about how he "sucked" as her boyfriend. Jax became a bit distant. Daniel would always wink and smirk at Emma, always touch her in affectionate ways he shouldn't...like holding her hand and always putting his hand on her leg. He would go out of his way to make her blush. He desperately wanted her back.

And...it worked.

Emma called me in tears last night about how she broke it off Jax after cheating on him with Daniel. After she stopped balling, she gushed about how good things were with Daniel. How she had the most amazing kiss of her life with him, how she felt like flying and how she felt like she was in a movie... And honestly I was bit jealous. Since Phillip left, I've been feeling a little romance-depressed.

I keep telling myself I want to be independent, but no matter what my mind wants, my heart wants someone to hold me and tell me I have a beautiful smile...all the gushy stuff I hate.

I just haven't made a connection yet.

My goal right now is to just be a good friend. I just want Emma to be happy, and if she's happy with Daniel, then she needs to be with him. I mean, he's worked so hard to get with her. He truly loves her. He did all the manipulation for good reasons. He did it for love. He wanted Emma so bad he wasn't afraid to wreck her relationship with Jax. There's good and bad both in what he did.

When I get jealous of what Emma has with Daniel and Jax, I feel selfish. I should let her have her romances, not be envious because I don't. Why don't I have those romances, though? Is there something wrong or unattractive about me that only makes zombies from video games like me? I wanna have a Daniel, someone who will fight for me, or I wanna have a Jax, someone who will love me unconditionally.

Or I am just stupid enough to believe love will come my way when I reject the thought of it so much. I feel the need to be the 'tough and strong Andi.' Sometimes I just want to be a girl with the same girly needs like Emma. I wish I wasn't such a selfish friend. I just need to be by Emma's side. Be that good, sidekick-like best friend.

I'm getting tired of all her relationship drama. Sometimes I just want to scream at her. "Pick a guy and get over it and stop playing games!"

 **Okay, so I know this isn't the best chapter with my storytelling, but I needed to hole Daniel-and-Emma thing to happen. I wasn't going to take a long time to have that happen, and I don't really know how to make it seem like a good pace the way I did it, but whatever. Forget the flaws in the chapter. I have to build on this plot of this story before all the real action begins, so please hang around! And review! Help support me in whatever way you can, I'll be forever grateful! I appreciate constructive criticism, not hate! Haters will be ignored:)**

 **Anyways, have a great day/evening!**

 **-Sela**


	3. Chapter 3

**Mia's arriving :D she's been my favorite to write so far. Please finish this chapter! I'm really proud of it...when I transferred this to , it took away all of my italics...it's fine though. Thanks for reading!**

 **Jax**

School today is a little bit unbearable. Seeing Emma just makes me want to get over her more. She wants Daniel. That's just the way it is. I don't want to be stuck in her web anymore. I spent so much of my time trying to win over Emma. And when I did, I lost her to Daniel again. What an idiot I am.

When I go to lunch, I see Emma and Daniel sitting together. I sit with Andi instead.

"Hey," I say, putting my tray down. I stare at my sandwich.

"How you feeling?" Andi asks, shoving a few fries into her mouth.

"Like crap. First, I get cheated on and broken up with, and then random girls started following me around everywhere like I'm their new project. Emma...it's like I don't even know who she is anymore, and I just want to be rid of her. Sorry for ranting about my Emma problems." I look up at her, apologetically.

"Its fine, really. I'm tired of Emma's relationship drama. I don't feel like I know her anymore either. She's changed. She's growing up, but her morals are being...thrown away almost. She's just another high school cliche now. Oh, but with magical powers!" Andi says with a condescending tone.

"Whatever. I just wanna move on. I'm tired."

"At least she's happy," Andi adds.

"Yeah, but she couldn't lightened the blow to me a bit, yeah? Doesn't seem like she ever cared about my happiness. I'm over it. Trying to get over her." I say.

 **Emma**

Daniel and I are walking home. Something keeps picking at me, though.

"Danny, I know what we did was wrong, but do you think Jax is okay? I feel really bad," I say.

"I'm sure he's fine. He'll get over it. He had all those girls around him during school, and of course you feel bad. You're your usual caring self. But you're happy, right? That's what is important." He kisses me on the cheek.

"Yes," I say, "I'm happy. I had to do this for myself. I couldn't stay with Jax, even if that meant hurting him. He's really strong, and I'm sure he'll get over me. I'm enchanting, but not that enchanting..." I joke, pushing Danny's arm.

"No, you are that enchanting, Emma. It's so easy to fall for you. I did when I first looked at you, back when I was more shy and nervous and not nearly as confident as I am now..."

"I like who you've become, Daniel. The man I see in front of me...He's extremely sexy, but still has that boy I first fell in love with." I smile up at him and kiss him.

 **Jax**

It's the next day of school and I'm trying not to think about Emma.

Yes, I'm hurt. Yes, I won't be able to look at other girls like that for a while. Yes, I'm still going to move on. I might just need a little while to heal. What happened to the bad boy who didn't care? Who was a rebel and who kissed girls like it was his job. Back then, I never needed a girlfriend. Then I met Emma.

She's not the same person I met when I moved here, and I need to except that. I just wish I didn't feel so many feelings. Maybe I'll focus on school, just to get my mind of things.

"Okay," Miss Clark, the English teacher says as she begins class, "for your final project before the end of the year, you will assigned into pairs and will have to write a short story together, switching off the writer every few paragraphs or so. I want to be able to tell the two partners apart, but I also want the story to flow. You will pick a slip of paper out of this bag," she lifts up a small paper bag, "and will have to incorporate it into you're story somehow. I want creativity and teamwork, okay?"

The class mumbles a bunch of "okay"s back to her.

"Oh, and I'm picking the pairs, based off two writers who styles I think will compliment one another," she announces.

I drift off until she calls my name. "What?"

"I said, Jax, that you'll be pairing with Mia Black. Please pay attention." Great. I'm with Kanay Girl? Let's hope she doesn't try to kill me first. Will she stink? Or is that just a boy kanay thing?

"So, I'm stuck with the Aussie witch, I see," Mia says as she sits in the open seat next to me.

"Wizard. So, I'm stuck with the Kanay Girl, I see," I reply. Mia makes a face at me for mocking her.

"Whatever, so I don't know if you were listening, but Clark said that the project is due in 10 days, and we really need to get this done. I won't be available tonight. Family stuff."

"Okay...when will you be available?" I ask. Is she going to be like this the whole time? Making excuses?

"Oh my god, I don't know. You're so difficult." She leans one elbow on the table and faces me.

"I'm difficult! Never mind, I'll just give you my number so you can text me whenever you're not busy," I say mockingly. She pulls out a black Sharpie. "My phone's dead, just write it on my wrist and I'll put it in later." I write my number on the side of her wrist.

Miss Clark appears in front of us. "Pick a slip," she says. Mia reaches in and picks a piece of paper out of the bag.

Bad guy.

"So we have to have a bad guy in our story?" Mia asks, a little rudely.

"Yes, but it can't just be a regular bad guy vs good guy story...it has to be creative. Make it something that strands out, make the bad guy the main focus. That's the point of the slip...Something to base your story around." We stare oddly at her as she walks over to the next group.

"Okay...Bad guys. Do you have any ideas?" I ask Mia. She puts her other elbow on the table and folds her hands.

"Yeah, we could do it about an arrogant young rich boy who can cast spells and is trying to destroy the other magical beings that can control the elements and forms of things! I think it is very realistic," she says. I roll my eyes at her attempt of an insult.

"You don't seem like one to down play yourself, Mia. Last time I checked, you were the bad guy. Now you're making yourself the victim. Laughable, Kanay Girl. Though this bad guy/handsome young wizard you're talking about seems pretty awesome to me...I don't think he's trying to destroy anybody," I say, giving her a classic smirk. Her faces crunches up. I've got her.

"Whatever," she tries to play it off, clearly beaten and not willing to except it, "it's not like you have a better idea, Novoa."

"Maybe I don't have any ideas at the moment but your idea is absolutely horrible. I do like the idea of the dashing and charming young wizard, though," I tease. Mia stares at me for a moment, a mischievous smile plays across her face.

"I have an idea." she proudly states, "What about a girl who finally chooses who she wants between two guys, and than the guy she chooses can't keep her away from the one she didn't choose for even, what, 2 weeks?" Mia starts to laugh. Of course she'd say something like that.

"Low blow, Mia. Should've seen it coming from you," I say, clearly annoyed and hurt by her comment. Her face registers it.

"Sorry. Didn't realize that wound was still sore," she says apologetically.

"It's fine. I'm just trying to get over it. Get over her. You were the first conversation I'd had in last couple of days that wasn't about Emma...but she always finds her way to get into every part of my day. It's exhausting."

"Sounds awful. You know, I really thought Daniel cared about me like I cared about him, but then he goes back to Emma. What is with her, does she have a love spell on every guy at Iridium?" Mia says, still hurt from her little Daniel Miller crush.

"Well, I'm done with Emma. I think I'm gonna be done with girls for a bit. Relationships just cause pain."

"Tell me about it. Daniel was the first guy I ever liked like that and I wasn't even his first choice! First time I put myself out there for a guy and BAM, my heart gets crushed. I think I'll be taking a break from relationships, too. I'll put my effort into thinking of an idea for this stupid assignment instead!" she says sarcastically.

The final bell rings.

"Hm. I'm sure we'll think of something. Text me whenever, I don't really have any plans ever...that sounds extremely lame. Anyways, I'm out of here," I say, getting up from my seat.

"See ya later, Aussie witch," she says, getting up from her seat as well.

"See ya, Kanay Girl," I tell her.

 **Mia**

My dad had 2 sisters and 1 brother, who all live around here. When I first moved to Miami, I was living with my aunt Diana, who we called Aunt Di. She knew about Kanays, and that I was one, but she wanted to stay out of the Kanay culture. So when she found out what I had done, or tried to do, to the witches, she kicked me out. She didn't want me around her family, causing 'chaos' with her Kanay family ties.

I went to stay with my other aunt, Vivian. She didn't live in nicest part of town, and her troublemaking son, my cousin Milo, was part of some gang.

I'm supposed to be home because Viv wants us to have a movie marathon. She's been really stressed lately, and she told me she was getting off work early today, and we were going to bake and then watch a bunch of romcoms. I have a thing for them...though I'd never admit to anyone.

Milo wasn't at home most of the time, but today when I came home from school, he's there with his shady gang friends. Viv isn't here.

Immediately walking in on the scene, I see their supplies of drugs. Marijuana, molly, coke...enough to get put in jail for a few months. Really, Milo?

"Mia," Milo says, "since you've been so kind to join us, and we can't have you snitching on our little operation, care to help out?"

"No, I'm fine," I say. I turn to walk to my room, but his voice stops me.

" _Mia_." His voice is hard and serious. This isn't the same kid I grew up with. Even though he's 5 years older than me, we used to be friends back when I first lived in Miami. Now...he's gone off the rails. He's cruel now. Unforgiving and deceiving.

He makes me help put drugs in their proper amounts into the bags for their "customers".

"I just got a text from RJ," his friend Gabe says, "he's not showing for the deals today."

"Crap," Milo slams a fist into the table. "We need someone to cover his route. Boss wants to money tonight, and we're not gonna get it to him in time or you know what'll happen." Milo's silent for a moment, then snaps at me. "Mia, we need you to do this run! You'll be fine, you set you up with everything and you can do it! You'll be fine, just 4 different guys who are buying from RJ's route today." His face hardens. He's serious about making me a drug dealer? My heart is beating so fast and I have to remember to breathe. I could get arrested. I don't need that.

"If we don't get the money in, we all get in trouble from the boss. This is not a choice, Mia." He leave the room for a minute. His four fellow gang members all stare at me. I'm petrified. Tattoos, piercings, facial hair, black clothing, deep voices, muscles, scary faces. I thought Milo was scary, but these guys all together are a different story. And now they're dragging me into their gang relations? I could burn these guys to crisp, but they could probably kill me with a punch to the face.

Milo comes back, and black back pack is in his hand.

"You'll keep the goods in here. Cash in the blue pouch inside. This," he says, pulling out a six inch knife, "is for your safety. Since you'll be part of our gang, they'll assume you're carrying a gun. Most of the guys you're dealing to are harmless, but watch out for the final stop on the route. His name is Mitchi, he's an ill tempered addict who's not afraid to argue. Get in and get out, quick. Put this sweatshirt on," he hands me a grey hoodie. "Put the knife somewhere on you were you can easily get to it and where it's hidden. You're boot should do fine." I stick the knife inside my boot.

Before I go, he puts all the drugs in my bag, tells me what is for who and how much I'm supposed to collect. My phone is in my back pocket of my jeans(I changed from my Iridium uniform), and he says to call if I need anything. Why is he doing this? He is possibly putting my life in danger! I don't really know what to do, so I carefully walk to the neighborhood the deals are in, and start the scariest journey of my life.

This is not going door to door selling fricking Girl Scout cookies. These are drugs. And the people I'm selling them to are dangerous. I could've told Milo that I didn't need the knife because I had powers, but he doesn't know about Kanays. He's not one, obviously.

The route starts out as smoothly as it can get for me. I feel like I'm going to throw up the whole time, but I manage to get through the first three deals seamlessly. People are more concerned with the drugs than who's dealing them.

But then comes Mitchi. The guy they had warned me about.

The guy who sent the snowball rolling that changed everything in my life.

I meet him in the alleyway Milo instructed me to go to. Even though sunset is still a half and hour away, I don't see him at first, and he creeps out of the shadows of the alleyway, like some sort of demon.

"Do you have my fix?" he asks with wide eyes. He's short for a guy, only 5"6. He has shaggy brown curls and bags under his eyes. His clothes are filthy.

"Do you have the money?" I reply, keeping my distance.

"Right here." He takes the 200 out of his pocket and hands it to me. I count it, just to make sure it's the right amount. Then, I take the blue pouch out to put his money in.

"How much cash you got, sweetheart?" he asks. What a creep. I need to get out of there soon. I need to get back home before dark.

"That's none of your business," I tell him, zipping the pouch back up and putting it in the black back pack. Then I take his bags of drugs out and hand them over. He snatches them up quickly, and I turn to walk away and to get out of there.

Suddenly, I feel him grab the bag and pull back, hard. He didn't look that strong, but he is. He forcefully takes the bag off my back and pushes me against the concrete ground. I feel my palms bleeding. When I get back up, he's holding the cash in his hand, disappointment on his face that I have no more drugs on me. But he's fine with the 750 he has in his hands.

"Hey! Give that back!" I yell.

"No chance, sweetheart!" he shouts, starting to run. I quickly speed up to him, tackling him to ground. I grab the money, but he still has a hold on it.

"GIVE THAT BACK!" I scream, feeling all my anger and adrenaline in the heat of the moment. Next thing I know, I've lost control. The cash is on fire.

From me. From my powers.

"What the hell, man!" Mitchi shouts, hastily taking his hands off the cash. It burns within a minute, and all I can do is watch. Mitchi is clearly confused, but also really high...does he really need more drugs when he's on them right now? He runs away with his stolen drugs, and I sit there for a moment. 750 dollars. Gone. My doing. What on Earth am I supposed to tell Milo? What will he do to me?

I'm coming back, $750 worth of drugs gone, and no money with me. I have no money of my own to pay him back. What will I do? I loose my temper, shooting a fireball against a wall, fighting back tears.

"Mia, where have you been? I've been waiting over an hour for you, I need to get the money!" Milo shouts as I enter the door.

"Milo," I say, my face dropping. "I lost the money."

"You what?!" he yells, his face turning red with anger. He's pissed. Beyond pissed.

"When I went to make the deal with Mitchi, he attacked me and stole all the money I had. I'm sorry," I lie.

"You had a knife! Why didn't you fight back! Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have let you go! What was I thinking, letting a defenseless little girl go onto the streets! Do you know how much trouble I'm gonna get in?" He's screaming.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't do anything! I'll get the money, I just need a few days! Please, Milo!" I beg him. He face twists into something more than anger.

"Mia, I'm gonna have to take you with me tonight. To deliver the money we didn't lose to the boss. He will decide what our fate is," he says, stepping closer to me. I have to go this "boss" of theirs? What will he do to me? Losing $750 of drugs...

"W-when are we leaving?" I ask, cursing myself for stumbling up my words.

"Now. I have to clean up this mess you made," he spits, pointing a finger at me.

"No...no, I can fix this! I can borrow from someone else and then have to owe them! Please," I say. Milo hits me, right in the eye. My anger is boiling, and I'm grateful this hoodie is covering my glowing Kanay marks. I hold back, because last time I lost it, I got into this mess.

"You're coming with me!" He shouts, grabbing me forcefully by my arm, grabbing a bag on the table and dragging me to his car.

"Get off, Milo!" I shout. "I will go with you, okay!" We get into the car.

"So where's Viv?" I ask him after a few minutes of driving.

"She's all tied up with work. They needed extra staff at the hospital, so she picked up an extra shift." He pauses. "Look, I'm sorry I pulled you into this, but this the supplier...our boss, he's got control over us when it comes to the drug stuff. He gets the stuff, we provide it to regulars who are always buying. When we mess up..." he ends there. We drive in silence.

 **So do you like the Mia plotline? It gets even more crazy in the next chapter! Give me your thoughts! I'm really happy to be jumping away from the demma drama a little and into Mia's life. The mansion isnt Jax's house btw...anyway, thanks for reading, and please continue to read as I publish more!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Mia**

We're at a mansion. This huge place, not another house for a few miles. When we drive up to the gate, Milo says to a little box, "Hey, it's Milo. Care to open up for me, yeah?" The gate opens, and he drives us up a long paved driveway to the front door. This place is gorgeous, the house, the perfectly manicured lawns, the fancy cars. Everything about this screams 'filthy rich'.

"Look who decided to pay me a visit!" A man says as he opens the giant wooden doors to the mansion. He has short brown hair, scruffy facial hair, and eerily piercing blue eyes. His tan skin is absolutely flawless against his white t shirt and khaki pants. He wears expensive sneakers, gold chains and diamond studs in his ears. A black tattoo covers part of his neck. Yes, this is definitely the "Boss" Milo is talking about. I'm not sure if he's their gang leader, or just their dealer and the head of the drug operation. I know they're two different things, since the gang isn't just involved in drugs.

"Hey, Deno, how's it going?" Milo says, getting out the car and greeting this Deno guy with a handshake.

"Who's the girl?" Deno asks, nodding his head in my direction. I cross my arms uncomfortably as I look at him from the open car window.

"Our problem," Milo responds. "Get out of the car, Mia." I get out the car. I'm still wearing my black jeans and boots, and a red shirt with the hoodie Milo gave me. The knife is still in my boot. I notice some ash on my pants, and quickly brush it off. Deno stares at me, then says, "Okay, let's head in and we can discuss this 'situation', Milo."

I follow them into the mansion. Marble floors, tall ceilings, a huge staircase leading up to the other two stories, a huge chandelier, and expensive paintings and vases and furniture everywhere, this is definitely the home of a guy who's making a lot money. Or had a really really rich and dead relative.

We're led into a huge living room, a salon, as fashionable and wealthy people would call it. White couches and a huge flat screen, beautiful decor. This place is a masterpiece. Deno motions for us to sit on the sofa, and it's probably the most soft, luxurious thing I've ever sat on. Deno sits in the cushioned chair adjacent to Milo and I. Despite the stunning house, I'm still fearful of this guy. I don't know what's going to happen, and the feeling eats at me.

"Milo, you texted me saying you had my money, but you had a dilemma, too. First the money," Deno reaches his arm out, opening his hand for the money. Milo takes a huge wad of money out of his jeans pocket and hands it to Deno. Deno counts it, and I see the look on his face change. I assume he's discovering he's short on cash.

"Please tell me the problem is the missing $750! What the hell happened, Mi!" Deno rages. He's obviously upset, freaking pissed.

"Yes. Rj didn't show up today for his deals. We didn't have the time, I had to improvise. We would've gotten the money to you, but Mia fucked it up." Milo says, giving me a scary glance. It's not my fault he forced me to make a drug run!

"Well I'm gonna have to send one of my boys to go to Rj's...make sure he doesn't ever back out again. But you Milo, entrusting 750 worth of drugs to this girl? She looks like she's only good for a shag. How could expect her to carry her own on the street!" Deno complains.

 _Only good for a shag?_

"Hey, I'm not some girl who goes around giving sex to guys, you don't know me," I say bitterly to him.

"Yeah, but you are the girl who stupidly lost 750 dollars! This is both of your faults...I'll deal with Rj separately. But for you two...I think I have a solution. I'll get my money back." He gazes at me, something twisted dancing in his eyes. He's crazy. Hebhas to be insane. He has all this stuff and this beautiful house, but he's so upset over 750 dollars? He takes a deep breath, than snaps his attention back to Milo.

"Mi, you can go. She stays." I hear Milo gulp.

My heart stops. I gape at Deno, "No! Not. A. Chance."

"Milo, this is the only chance you get. Leave now. She stays. It's the safest option for you. Get out!" He shouts. Milo exits.

"What are you doing!" I scream. I want to cry. He's leaving me here with a stranger, whose intentions are probably malicious. Milo doesn't respond. I hear the giant wooden doors slam shut.

"Oh my god," I murmur. Deno sits next to me on the sofa, and I scoot away from him, to the edge of the couch.

"Mia, is it? You're gonna help me get my money back. But you know, I'm gonna make way more than 750 off of you..." he moves closer and touches my cheek with the back of his fingers. I flinch.

"I'm leaving. I'm not going to do this, whatever this is," I say, rushing to get off the couch. I get up, and try to run for the door, but he grabs my wrist and pulls me back.

"Let me go!" I harshly tell him. I will not show any sign of weakness to him. I have to be my strong, usual self to this guy. He won't, _can't_ , see me crack.

"Letting you go? Not happening. You'll be worth a lot, darlin."

"What are you gonna do to me?" I ask, afraid of his answer.

"I'm gone call a few guys over her, tell em I have a little play toy for them. A few grand from them each for some time in a room with you...are you a virgin? I could double the price for that."

I try to run, but his grip is hard, "You want me to be your sex slave? Like a prostitute, but the money goes to you. No fucking way! I've never..." I say, trailing off. Yes, I've never had sex.

This is not happening. This can't be happening.

"Oh, so you are a virgin...Sweatheart, this isn't an option. You're doing this. But if you want options, I could get rid of you instead." He lifts up his shirt to reveal a pistol at his waistline. My eyes widen. His voice make my ears want to bleed.

"I'll make some calls, and we'll find you something more...attractive to wear."

"Shut up," I say, trying to keep my cool. I'm getting ready to attack him.

"Don't try anything, or I'll pull out the gun," he says, giving me a look of warning. As soon as he turns his back for his smartphone, I shoot a fireball at him. It hits him straight in the back. He stumbles a bit, but doesn't fall. I'm astonished by how he's holding up. His white t shirt is burned where I hit him, but his back is hardly harmed.

"Shit," he mutters, turning around. "I knew I smelled something a bit off. Fire? You're a kanay!" He shouts. I gasp, "how do you know!" I shout.

"Because," he says with a grin, "I'm not just an average human." Next thing I know, his hand is moving and a dark red shade of magic is forming. He's moving so quickly, and it takes too for me to comprehend what's going on, and he shoots the red beam at me. I'm thrown against the wall. I hear a crunch and shatter, and I fall to the floor. Something sharp scratches my jeans, making a small rip.

He threw me into a mirror mounted on the wall. That was the shatter and crunch. My back aches. I feel little shards of glass from the mirror in my hair and in the grey hoodie. But I know now, I know what I'm up against. Deno is ever more dangerous than I thought.

 _He's a wizard._

 **Please read!**

 **OH MY GOODNESS GUYS. It's getting really intense, this is why I don't recommend for younger kids, because of stuff like this :/ but I want to explore more mature and dark themes.**

 **So how do you feel about Deno? And him wanting to use Mia's body for money?**

 **And he's a wizard...things will just get darker. Will Mia get out of this mess?**

 **Mia-centric chapter, but I this whole sequence is going to hopefully conclude in the next chapter. It might take a few days though. School is starting soon and I'm really busy. I hope to get another chapter out sometime this week, but after that I'll be gone for about a week because of my schedule, but I promise to write as much as I can and get a long chapter out! Thanks guys, xx.**

 **Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Mia**

 _He's a wizard_.

I can't believe I didn't see it before. I'm usually so good at detecting witches, but I was so scared from gang stuff, his gun, his plans to make money off me...I was too distracted.

I quickly get back on my feet, and look at Deno with angry eyes.

"Another witch!" I shout at him, throwing my forearms in front of me, my Kanay markings glowing. I'm building up for another attack. He conjures up some of his red magic in his fingers, sinisterly twirling it around.

"Sweatheart, I don't need to use magic to operate my business. I'm powerful enough as it is. Magic is just a perk for me. Another trick up my sleeve. See, in this game of drugs and violence and money, magic can't always be used. But when it can, it gives me the power to be on top. To be in charge. No little Kanay is going to stop me from getting what I want. I can crush you," he says. He paces back and forth, keeping a careful eye on me.

He's underestimating my strength. Just because my first fireball wasn't all that great doesn't mean he's more powerful than me. He's probably never fought a kanay before. He has no idea what I've got in store for him.

I do my version of a "signature move". I punch my fist into the palm of my other hand, and my orange kanay glow bursts up. I blow a gust of freezing wind at him, and he frosts over. Only a moment later, his red magic is engulfing him, and he's unfrozen.

"What," I question, frustration on my face. He should've been frosted for at least a few more minutes.

Maybe now I'm the one underestimating the strength of my opponent.

"You think your little fire and ice tricks can stop me? Trust me, Mia, I'm a man who doesn't stop until he gets what he wants. And what I want is for you the pay the price," he snarls. He flicks his hand at me, releasing the magic at his fingertips.

I dive to side, dodging his shot.

"Yeah? And what 'price' do I have to pay? For what? The $750?" I question him, shooting another icy blast his way. He moves swiftly, blocking it with a magic shield.

"Of course the $750, darling. But it's turned into much more than that...you've made an enemy outta me. You be a coward and try to run away from this, then you attack me with your kanay powers. The price you have to pay is to me. I'm going to have control of you, Mia. I'm going to make you beg for mercy, sweetheart." He makes another attempt at a spell, doing his move and aiming for me. This time I'm not as quick on my feet and it hits me.

I stumble around, my head spinning. I'm becoming nauseated...his spell is making me sick.

I must fight through it.

Fire shoots shoots through my hands, but my dizziness is causing is causing my aim to be off. I end up hitting a vase, and it smashes to the ground, turning to ashes.

Deno strikes again, and in the blink of an eye I find my self tied up in ropes. I try as quickly as possible to burn my way through the ropes, but before I can finish he's cast another spell. This one throws me to the ground, and I land on the shattered glass of the broken mirror. I can feel a cut bleeding on my face.

After a moment, I finally manage to get the ropes undone and free myself. No. More. Games.

I run towards him, blasting fire his way. Some catches on his curtains and it begins to burn. He hastily casts a spell to put the fire out.

"Trying to burn down my house now, are we?" he says. He shoots another beam of magic at me, but I'm still charging towards him.

I throw one huge fireball at him, making him go stumbling the the ground. I stand over top of him, I've got him now.

I conjure up fire in my hand, bend down, and hold it a few inches from his face.

"I'm not letting you hurt me," I say, lowering the fire closer and closer to his face.

"No!" he screams. He uses his foot to sideswipe my legs, sending me the the floor with him. I can't take this anymore.

I punch him in the face. His lip is busted, it starts to bleed. My hand feels the punch, too.

"Dammit!" he shouts, climbing to his feet as he holds he wipes blood off his lips. "If you wanna push the magic aside and get physical with me, you should've said so," he yells jokingly, his face boiling with anger.

As soon as I stand back up, he gives me a black eye.

"Shit," I mutter, stumbling back a few steps. The room is a mess. A beautiful space turned into a heaping fiery mess.

"You seem to be holding up a good fight for a little girl, even if you do have kanay powers," he says, leaning his head to the side in a wicked way.

"I'm no helpless little girl. I'm a fighter. I'm a kanay!" I say screaming, doing my move and blowing a powerful gust of freezing wind at him. Ice crawls up his body, but instead of just a frost this time, he's actually frozen. I've done it, I've got him. I could cry from happiness. He's not moving, still in his icy prison.

I catch my breath for a minute, then run, full out sprint, for the front door. I open the heavy doors, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. I hadn't been in there for long, but the suspense of the conversation and Deno and Milo, and then the epic fight...it felt like years in there.

But I have no car, no real transportation besides my own two feet. Milo took the car with him, so now I'm left with now.

I begin to run down his huge driveway, hopeful I'll be able to get outside his gate. But in the back of my mind, I remember how long off a drive it took for us to get here. If I get back home, it won't be until morning. I'll take my chances, just to get as far away from this nightmare as possible.

I've been walking for over an hour. I have no idea where I'm going, and now I'm just searching for a place where I can get some help. I'm tired, my eye is throbbing, and the hand I punched Deno with is extremely sore.

How did this happen? How could I get myself caught up in this mess? I am the strongest person I've ever known. I could've avoided all of this. I could've told Milo no. But instead, I do the bad thing. I get myself into a mess. Maybe this is just my bad karma from all the shit I gave the magic realm, for trying to destroy them.

My heart beat quickens, the hair rises up on the back of my neck. Something is behind me.

Suddenly, I'm not alone anymore.

"Mia, so nice to catch up with you again. You didn't think I was done with you, did you?" an eerie voice from behind me says. I swing myself around to the voice.

Deno.

"How did you find me?" I question, my brows furrowed.

"Locater spell," he says, taking a few steps towards me. I can see he's shivering, and his lip is swollen and purple. He is soaking wet, water is dripping off him.

"But..." I trail, struggling to find the words. I thought I was free, I thought I had won. This...this is a nightmare.

"Face it, Mia. You can't get away. You are mine until I get what I want," he growls, his eyes getting big and vicious. A mad man.

"I am not yours! I own you NOTHING." I yell. I can feel my face growing hotter from the frustration. I finally got away, and now he's dragging me back into his hell.

I still have the knife in my boot...if I can sneak up on him and stab him, maybe...I don't know. Do I really want to kill somebody? A few weeks ago I wanted all the magic realm to be gone. What would this one bad wizard do? What would happen to me if I just killed him? Could I pull it off? Would the council understand if it was for self defense? If one of them was trying to hurt me?

I start taking slow steps towards him.

"Deno, please. Give it up," I say.

"Mia, I get it. You're powerful, you froze me in that block of ice. But I'm still a powerful wizard. You might have the elements on your side, but wizards have magic. Our powers are nearly limitless. Do you really think your tricks will stop me permanently?" he says. It kills me to admit it, but he's kinda...right. I can only do so much with my powers, but witches can do so much more.

But...I know I can beat him. I have to...this is my life, I can't let him control it.

"You know, Mia," he starts, "I'm trying to figure out what to do. You could just come with me, and you're punishment could be less severe, or you could try fighting, but eventually lose."

"I will fight," I say through the gritted teeth, "I will fight."

"Okay, fine. More fun for me. More money for me, more pain and suffering for you," he states. As he says this, I quickly swipe the knife out of my boot, and run close enough to him to target him. He sees my actions, and casts a spell. The knife is ripped from my hand, and I stop dead in my tracks, dumbfounded.

Of course, magic. Magic is always stopping me.

"What?" I yell, looking at Deno. My knife is in his hands.

"Try to pull a fast one on me, yeah? You can't get rid of me that easily," he says. I take off the grey hoodie, make two fists and show off my markings. Next thing I know, he's charging towards me, and as soon as a fling a fireball at him...

He plunges the knife in my side.

I collapse to ground and shoot my hands down to my wound. My deep red blood is everywhere, I'm sweating like crazy, and Deno is still there. Watching my suffering.

I can hardly move. The pain is so bad, and I'm screaming at the top of my lungs.

"See what you did, Mia? I'll heal you up with magic...if you come with me," he says, bending down to get a good look at me.

"No!" I shout through my pain, which I'm struggling not to show.

"You have no choice," he reasons, placing his hands on the knife, still deep in my side. I take in sharp breath, pain parading through my side.

"I will...never," I say in ragged breathes, "go...with you. I will never...be with you. I won't let...won't let you take me away." I can feel myself slowly slipping out of consciousness, and I try in a last ditch effort to shoot my fire at him. It comes out in a lazy and pathetic little flame. Deno laughs.

The last thing I see is his conniving little grin as I slip into the darkness, unsure if it's the last thing I'll ever see.

 **Hey guys! Hoped you liked this chapter, and the giant cliffhanger with it! I worked really hard on this, though it isn't perfect. I know getting into this Mia plot is taking forever, and I was going to get it done in this chapter, but I wanted to get something out to you guys. Thanks for the support, please review! Thanks so much. Xx. Selaships.**

 **Ps, what do you think will happen? Will Mia really die? Will she ever get away from Deno? Comment your thoughts!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Mia**_

I come to, opening my eyes and exhaling a sigh of relief. So I'm alive. I think.

I'm a bed that isn't mine. The silky sheets feel nice and soft against my skin. I'm wearing nothing but a black tank top and some black sleep shorts...not the clothes I was wearing when I was stabbed.

I was stabbed.

I fling the covers off me and put my hands to my side, which doesn't hurt at all. I lift the tank top up, seeing that all that is there is a faint scar. How is this possible? Deno said he'd fix me up if I went with him...but that was before I blacked out. So maybe he did heal me. Then what else happened last night? After the black out, I have no memory of what happened or how I got here. The clock adjusted on the wall says it's 9:34 AM.

I take in the room. It's huge, a master bedroom. So fancy, it could pass as a five star hotel suite. I can tell by the look of the room that no one lives here, so I must be in someone's guest room if I'm not in a hotel.

But then all of the pieces to puzzle click together in my brain, and I realize where I am. I'm in Deno's house. His huge frickin mansion...

I try to get down off the bed, but I can't. There's a force field holding me on the bed. It ripples a red mist as I touch it. A few moments later, the door opens to reveal Deno. I shudder at his sight, moving backwards until my back hits the headboard. He smirks, and a shiver runs through my body.

"Hello, Mia. Nice to see you again, all fixed up now. Last night...probably one of the most exciting in my life. How are you feeling?" he says in a sinister tone.

"What happened last night? After I blacked out?" I question. I'm getting angry now.

"Nothing you need to know about, Mia."

"Fine. If you don't want to talk, I'm not gonna fight you to. Can I go home now?" I ask him. The truth is, I don't really know where to go. I don't have a real home. The place where I live is just that, a place where I live. And worse, Milo is there. I'm so disgusted with him, I don't want to see him. But where else where I go? School? Iridium isn't that bad, but after last night...I feel sick to my stomach. I don't feel alright, I just want to lie in bed and pretend none of this ever happened.

"Sure, whatever. But I gotta go, so you're gonna have to find your own way home. There's a phone around here somewhere you can use to call someone. Thanks for last night, Mia. You've been very useful. If you ever need anything, just give me a ring. I wrote my number below the one on your wrist, whatever reason that number is there for. Okay, Mia?" he says. He smiles at me. I hate that smile. It's evil, there's poison behind it.

And what is he talking about, that I'd been 'useful'? I thought I just lost him some drug money and had a huge fight with him. He was the one that stabbed me and then had to take care of it. So how was I useful? I have so many questions, my mind is going into overdrive and I can't process everything all at once.

He casts a spell, and I see the barrier surrounding my bed disappear. Then he exits. I'm left alone again. I hop out of the bed, and search for a phone. Who am I gonna call? All the numbers I use are saved as contacts on my phone. I don't have any numbers memorized.

I wrote my number below the one written on your wrist...

Jax's phone number is on my wrist. It may not be perfect, but it's the best option I have. What will I explain to Jax? That I got involved with a gang, that their leader is a wizard and that he stabbed me and I stayed the night at his place? Will he believe me?

I think I'll take my chances. I just want out of this nightmare, out of this god forsaken mansion.

Finally, I find the phone. I press the buttons corresponding to Jax's cell number, and it rings a few times before he picks up. I suddenly feel even sicker than when I woke up.

"Hello?" his voice says from the other end.

"Jax, it's Mia...I need your help," I tell him. I hate how desperate I sound. Like I need to be saved. Maybe I could use a little saving after the events of last night, no matter how much I don't want to admit it.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I think about his question. No, I'm not okay. Everything is wrong. A lump rises up in my throat, and I get the painful, raw feeling in my throat that happens when you're trying to hold back your tears...

"Yeah, no, I'm fine. I just-" I take in a deep breath. "I need you to teletransport to where I am and get me. I'll explain things when you get here, I just need help."

"Are you sure you're okay? You don't sound quite like yourself, Mia. What happened? I'm in school at my locker right now, but where are you? I'll pick you up, everything is going to be fine."

"I don't know the address. Can't you get something from locker and track me with it? Please," I say, just wanting him to get here. I want to see someone's familiar face, even if it's Jax's.

"Okay. I'll be there in a few, Mia. Just tell me what's going on when I get there, okay? Hang tight." It's weird that I'm being comforted by Jax. He is one of the most repulsive people I've ever met, and a wizard! He's not someone I'd ever call for help in a regular situation. But this is different. Now I need him, and he's here for me when I need him. At least he says he is.

Everything is so strange. How did I get into these clothes? How did Deno get so much power that he was able to heal me? What is going to happen to me and Milo, too, now? Is Deno finally done with me?

A smoky, cloudy dark blue light manifests before me, and Jax emerges out of it. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Mia, what is this place? Why are you here? What happened to you? No offense, but you look awful."

"Thanks. I don't know exactly where we are. Thank you for coming," I admit.

"Of course. The way you sounded over that call, the way you look now...what happened to you?" This is probably the third or fourth time he's asked this question.

"Where do I start," I let out a sad little laugh, dropping my head a bit. I look at him with sad eyes and a sarcastic smile, "why don't I start from the beginning?"

So that's when I told Jax everything. Every last detail. Starting from how I got to living with Milo, to the drugs, to burning to money, to getting dragged to Deno's...I told him about our fight, finding out he was a wizard. How I got stabbed, how I woke up this morning, not knowing a single bit of what happened after blacking out. I let it all out, realizing just how fucked up it all was. I still had the sick feeling in my stomach.

"Wow," he said, "I'm...sorry. Really, Mia. If there's anything I can do, just say the word." He was already such a different person from yesterday. Maybe he's just a really good guy, hiding behind his bad boy façade. After that break up with Emma, I bet his emotions are everywhere right now.

"Let's get going," I say. "I don't feel good, I just wanna lie in bed. It's all been too much."

"Mia, you are the strongest most bad ass girl I know. You'll be fine," he says reassuringly.

"I know. It might just take a while longer than usual. Everything in my life just became a little bit more complicated," I respond. I take his hand, and in a moment where in his house.

"I don't know where you live, I figured you didn't want to be at school, and no one else is here, so here should be good for now, right?" he suggests.

"Actually it's perfect. I don't want to be at my house right now, after what happened with my cousin."

"Yeah, I understand. Make yourself at home. You can go in my room. I have to get back to school, but text me if you need anything." He conjures up a cell phone for me, since I obviously don't have mine. He starts to head for his front door, but I stop him.

"Jax," I shout. He turns around to look at me. "Thanks again, it means a lot." I stare down at my feet. This is insane. I'm staying at Jax's for the day? I'm constantly thanking him? I'm truly thankful, though. I'm out of that mess, and I can put it all behind me. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get over it right away but I'll try. I just hate that I lost to Deno, that I didn't have control. That I don't know everything about what happened, and that I had to ask for help.

I climb into Jax's soft bed, wrap myself in his sheets, and cry into his pillows, giving me some alone time with my sobs. I'm not really sue what I'm feeling right now, but I know that everything isn't alright. I just don't want to think about it anymore.

 ** _Jax_**

I was really worried about Mia when she called me. Hell, I'm still worried about her now. She's alone and safe in my house, but what if she doesn't want to be alone? What if she's hurt, what if she needs someone?

Yesterday Mia and I were more like frenemies. But after all that happened with her trying to destroy the realm and then apologizing, being with her in the video game, I knew she was a good person deep down. I couldn't just leave her. Life hasn't always been easy for me either, and I couldn't expect Mia to go through shit, too, without needing help. She called me for help, of course I had to answer her.

Mia had a fucked up night. Maybe I'm just being 'emotional' after the Emma thing, or maybe I'm just actually a caring person. I'm hoping it's the ladder.

I'm trying not to have too much concern for Mia throughout the school day. I shoot her a text every once in a while, and she asks me a question or makes a request whenever she needs. Besides the whole Mia situation, my day is filled with basic high school drama.

It still stings a little whenever I see Emma. I'm seriously getting sick of a the little string of girls who seem to be attached to me now. They treat me like a charity case they want to hook up with. I'm not interesting in hooking up, I'm not interested in them. Basically the only people I can talk to normally are Andi and Diego. They are pretty much to only people in school I have now.

Getting rejected seriously sucks.

 _ **Emma**_

Okay, so things have been pretty great. Daniel is pretty great. We've gone on dates every night this week, and each one has been better than the last. Daniel was my first love, and I think I'm falling in love with him all over again.

The thing about being with your first love is that everything feels like the first time. It's like every moment with him is a step forward. Now that Daniel's finally accepted that I'm a witch and that's not going to change, he's willing to support me in my reign as Chosen One. It's everything I could of asked for. Somehow, the second time around with Daniel seems to be working.

I open the door to the nurses office. "Lily, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Emma, I wanted to talk to you." Lily sitting in her chair, hands folded tougher on top of her desk. Her posture is perfect and straight like always. She's young, but so wise and mature. Maybe that's why she's on the council.

"What do you want to talk about?" I ask, taking a seat on on of the patient beds across from my guardian.

"Emma, you may not like what I have to say," she tells me.

"Is this about Daniel? Lily, aren't we over the whole humans-can't-be-with-witches thing? Daniel already knows about magic, and he's supporting me in my position as Chosen One! Keeping me from Daniel is going to cause problems, not being with him," I say, very straightforward.

"This isn't about Daniel. I can't say that the Council is thrilled about him, but that isn't what this is about."

"What is it about then? Lily, you're starting to worry me."

"Emma...this is about your powers. We, the Council, wanted to conceal this from you until you were old enough, but things have changed and we need to unveil the truth now. As you already know, your powers have no limits. You may not be as strong as Agamemnon, Desdemona, or Jake Novoa, but you possess more power and potential than all three of them combined. But being the Chosen One comes at a cost.

"Aggie and Dezi have been on the Council for over four decades, and they've overseen 3 Chosen Ones in their reign as Council. You know of Principal Torres, and yourself, but there was a third witch that had been the Chosen One in recent history. Her name Tasha Wilbur, she was a teen when she found out about her powers and that she was Chosen One, much like you. The difference between Tasha and you, and Torres is that Torres was born into a pure blood coven, much like the Novoas or the Van Pelts. She had known about her powers since she was a young child, but didn't become Chosen One until she was well into her thirties, only several years before you knew her." Lily pauses for a moment, but I don't say anything because I'm to interested in the story.

Come to think of it, I don't know much about past Chosen Ones or their powers. I had never heard of Tasha, or even wondered about witches who had once had the powers I have. Maybe I should be studying more Realm History. Lily speaks again. "Emma, do you know how a Chosen One gets their powers?"

"I thought I was born that way. I was born the Chosen One, I just didn't develop my powers until few years ago," I say.

"You're mistaken. You weren't born the Chosen One. The Chosen One powers came to you when the Council took Torres's powers. Emma, you weren't born a witch. You didn't inherit your mother's genes, since you father was human, you had a 50/50 chance of getting powers. You're either born with witch blood or you aren't, and you weren't. You weren't supposed to be Chosen One. You were never supposed to get involved in the Realm. Tasha had the same situation," Lily explains.

"Okay. But how did the powers land of me? If the Council took them, wouldn't they have them in a bottle, like when they took Jax's? And when they threatened to take my powers, they said they would just keep them until I was ready to handle them. It isn't adding up."

"Only witches like you and Tasha, we call you Cross witches, can have your powers taken by the Council and be contained. With witches called Naturals, like Torres, that are Chosen Ones, the Council can only expel their powers from them. They can't contain a Natural Chosen One's powers. What Torres did was she attempted to use her powers and overthrow the Council. She wanted to lead the Realm on her own, like a queen so to say.

"Many Chosen Ones in the past felt this way, and Torres was one of them. She tried to attack the Realm Headquarters and take the powers of everyone who worked for the Realm government. Agamemnon, Desdemona, and myself are just a branch of the larger tree that is the Realm and its government. So when Torres tried to overthrow the Realm, the Council battled her, eventually winning and ridding her of her powers and her Chosen One title. She was banished to the human world, where she became a principal. The rest you know."

The story shocks me down to the bone.

"Why did the powers land on me specifically? I was alive when this was happening, but so were plenty of other witches," I question. If I wasn't born with these powers, how did they choose me?

"We don't really know how Cross witches are selected. Technically you were born a powerless witch, like me. I would only be able to attain powers if another witch's were misplaced or not contained," Lily explains.

"Like Maddie's when they landed on her mom," I guess. Lily nods. "So the Principal's powers landed on me, and since she was the Chosen One, I then became Chosen One. But Lily, this doesn't make sense. The Principal still had powers, just my Chosen One powers," I say.

"She stole them from Ursula. We were never able to retrieve them from her, so Ursula ended up powerless," Lily explains.

"So how did Tasha become Chosen One, and how did Torres? Neither of them were born with it, so they had to get it from someone," I say. So many questions, so many new revelations...why wasn't I told this information before? And it's all leading up to something bigger Lily has to tell me. The 'cost' of being Chosen One.

"Tasha was a Cross, so her powers landed on her, and she became Chosen One. Torres got hers by a different kind of selection. Emma, what I'm about to tell you is the reason I brought you here today." Lily pauses. "Torres got her powers when Tasha died. She only died at 27 years old, from something we call Cross Syndrome. Only Cross witches can get it...and you are vulnerable to developing it, too."

"What!" I burst out. "Why didn't you tell me that I could be carrying some lethal disease! What is this Cross Syndrome exactly? Why did it kill Tasha?" I shout. Lily looks at me with bewilderment on her face. "Lily!" I yell at her, causing her to flinch. I recoil a bit, suddenly realizing I had just screamed at her.

"We didn't want to scare you, Emma. But we wanted you to know because there was a small outbreak of Cross Syndrome, dubbed CroSynd by many witches, and we need to make sure you don't have it," Lily says.

"Okay," I say calmly, but shocked by this news. "What are the symptoms? What does this CroSynd do? What chance do I have of getting it?"

"Well, the definition of Cross Syndrome is a Cross witch's body rejecting her powers, since they weren't originally hers. This causes more...magical injuries. Physically, cuts and bruises will appear on a victim's body, they will loose a lot of energy and require more sleep, puking and nausea, and high blood pressure. Mentally and emotionally, the toll is much larger. Anxiety and depression, plus spontaneous out bursts, sometimes using powers. Hallucinations, in some cases.

"A few victims just went crazy. There isn't much treatment since your powers can't be taken from you once you develop the disease, but many have survived. An estimated 12% of Cross witches have Cross Syndrome. About 40% of those cases resulted in death. If someone has this disease, their powers are hurting them. As Chosen One, developing this disease means you have a 10% chance of living. I know the symptoms don't sound to awful as to cause death, but trust me, Em. CroSynds slowly kills a witch from the inside, and even if you're lucky enough to survive, there will still be scars. I'm just praying you don't get it. I'm sorry, Emma." Lily deeply exhales.

Before I know it, tears are flooding out of my eyes. I just don't understand...a disease targeting Cross witches like me? And it could kill me? Why didn't I know this?

Maybe I'm just overreacting...I might not have this disease. I could fine.

Or I could be dying and not even know it.

"Lily," I cry, "please tell me that I don't have it, that I'll be fine. I don't know if I can take this...is this the cost of being Chosen One?" I ask.

"Yes. There are many costs to being Chosen One, but this is one of the biggest...Emma, I don't know if you have CroSynds or not. That's why we're admitting you to St. Greta Magic Realm Hospital for extensive testing. We will do anything to keep you alive, Emma. The Realm still needs their Chosen One, and we're ready to let you go," Lily says. I let out a sob, still petrified of the future.

I'm scared. I was just getting my life figured out, when they drop this bombshell on me. I'm so unfamiliar with the Realm. Wouldn't I have know this if I was more involved in the world I come from? Maybe.

Would they make me leave Miami if I were sick? I'm already spending a few days in a realm hospital. Will Daniel or Andi be allowed to see me? My dad doesn't know about magic, what will I tell him?

Magic just can't cut me a break.

After talking with the Council about my upcoming 2 days at St. Greta's, they're allowing me to take Andi, and are casting a spell on my dad, despite my protests, to make him believe Andi and I are going on an educational school trip. I won't be able to see Daniel, and I can't text between the human world and the Realm, so no contact with him.

Last night I explained everything to Andi. She was really shocked and worried about me, but I told her things would be fine, even thought I had no idea.

As I walk into the hospital with the Council, Andi holds my hand tight. I'm so grateful I have her here.

Staff show me to the room I'll be staying in, with the bed I'll be sleeping in tonight. Only tonight, thankfully. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll hopefully be going home if there aren't any complication. But maybe I'm actually sick and that's all just wishful thinking.

They immediately start running tests on me. Doctors and nurses come in and out, asking too many questions, making me change into a ridiculous hospital gown, drawing blood from me and taking my temperature. All these procedures are just standard preparations for the actual CroSynds tests, but the preparations take at least 2 hours.

Then I'm led to a room where they put me into what looks like the machine you get a cat scan in, but it's more high tech and magical. My whole body is slid into this contraption, which is called The Reicroater, whatever that means. I'm tested on for another couple hours, and become very uncomfortable in the process. When I'm finally out, it seems the testing for today is done..

Andi and I go grab dinner from the hospital caf, talking about anything that doesn't involve magic. And it's nice. We're back to same old cheerful Emma and Andi for a few moments. I start up the topic of Daniel, and we talk it out.

"I mean, what you did to Jax was really messed up," she admits. She's right. "But I think he's doing better. And I love seeing you so happy with Daniel."

"Thanks for the support, Andi. Most girls at school have been treating me like I personally offended just because I dumped Jax." It comes out harsher than I want.

"Well I'm most girls at school, Emma. I'm your best friends and I'll always want what's best for you," Andi says.

"I love you," I tell her.

"I love you, too," she replies. I look at the clock. It's late, and we're both tired. We walk back to my room, binge watch a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy and fall asleep next to each other, someone strengthening our friendship with this awful trip, turning it into something good.

But that doesn't stop me from having nightmares about Cross Syndrome.

»

 **Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **So we have some interesting things going on. Emma finds out she's a Cross witch, and also that she might be carrying a life-threatening disease.**

 **Mia is finally out of Deno's hands, but did anything else happen that night? Are Mia's problems over? Why is Jax being so kind?**

 **I hope to get another update within the next two weeks. We'll see :)**

 **Review! Ily guys. Tell me what you're thinking! Xx, sela**


	7. Chapter 7

Monster.

How should I feel?

Creatures lie here,

Looking through the window.

Mia

Since my parents died, I had to deal with the pain of these monsters, capturing and trapping me in my own dreams, and somehow ended up following me out into my real life. Images of the things haunting me always pop up, like my parents deaths. But tonight flashes of Deno and his magic appear, plus blurry images of things I can't quite make out.

I had worked so hard to get rid of these monsters, but they're stealing my dreams from me once again. I don't know why've they come back, but I try to push them away.

Claws are grabbing at me, pulling me towards them, ripping at my clothes and pinching my skin. But I can't see anything, only feel it happening. I can only see within my own mind, and all I see is blood. I try to scream out, but I can't. No words are coming out, my lips are barely moving. And I feel the monsters coming for me again, trying to lure me back into their relentless mental torture. It's been a long time since I've experienced them. I'm trapped. I'm trapped in their clutches and I can't get out. And the pain, the pain, the pain is horrific.

I'm torn out of my nightmare but the sound of a door slamming.

"Mia! Where are you?" I hear the Aussie voice downstairs. I wipe the tear from my eye and shout to him, "I'm up here, Jax!"

A moment later he appears in the doorway of his room. I'm sitting in his bed, trying to not let my childhood nightmare get to me.

"How was your day off?" he asks, entering the room and setting his bag on a chair. He takes his leather jacket off and hangs on it on a rack.

"Fine," I lie. He gives me a doubtful look, but decides to accept the answer anyway. "How was school?" I ask.

"Awful, as one would expect. I don't know how people get all this damn homework done without magic," he says. Typical lazy wizard, taking the easy way out of things. Jax is no stranger to this way of life, of course. He pure, 100% wizard boy. Magic is all he's ever known. His family, and their success, rely on it. The Novoas are nobles in their societies. Rich, powerful. And I'm just a kanay. One of only a few left. My power is nothing to them.

"We call it work. You should try it sometimes, it may be exhausting but it the end it provides satisfaction," I reply. He laughs.

"Mia, I do plenty work. I'm just not going to waste my energy on homework after a day at school. I can only take so much."

"So much of what? Thinking? Sorry if it hurts your pea brain," I joke. He gives me a scowl. "Ha ha," he says nonchalantly. I realize I'm still comfortable under the covers off his bed and get up. I'm still wearing nothing but the black tank and shorts I woke up in.

"Hey, little witch, could you," I make a swirling motion with my finger, mocking Jax's signature move. "I still really don't feel like going home and these clothes...can you change me?" I ask. He smirks at me.

"You know what I mean," I say. I look away from him, feeling a little embarrassed.

He conjures up some blue cloudy magic and shoots it at me. I'm surprised it doesn't push me back at all, and I feel an unusual warm softness spread over me, and in a short moment I'm dressed in my army boots, brown jeans, and maroon top.

"Not bad, Novoa," I tel him, looking down at my clothes.

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Just don't be calling me "little witch". Got it, kanay girl?" He smirks at me again, and I catch myself smirking back.

"You've been cooped up in here all day. What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? We'll do whatever you want," he says. I think about it for a moment. Soon the words are coming out of my mouth, and I can't believe what I'm doing. I look at him, serious.

"I want to show you something. Something only I've ever seen. But we're going to need a little magic to get there."

"Where are we?" Jax asks, letting go of me as we land in my nightmare. I can't see him, because I can never see anything with my eyes in this dream. I only see the flashes. It's starting again. The blood. My parents. The principal. Daniel. Milo. Deno. The blurry images.

All the things that seem to be haunting my mind. I feel the scratching, the claws. Somehow it's worse because I'm not asleep. It's overwhelmingly. For a moment I forget Jax is here, but I soon remember and grab his hand, making sure he's here with me. "Do you feel it, too?" I manage to ask. Somehow I have my voice, but it's taking everything out of my talk.

"I...I do. And I'm seeing all these people I don't know, but also the principal and Daniel...Mia, what is this?"

"My nightmare." Then an awful feeling runs through me, for a second it feels like I'm dying. Then we're back in Jax's bedroom. I notice I'm still holding his hand and quickly draw it away.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yes," I say. But no, I'm slightly sweating and I have this pit in my stomach.

"Are you sure? That dream was extremely freaky." He pauses for a moment, then tenses up. "Did I see your parents?" he asks. I nod.

"Those were my parents you saw. Did you also see them die?" I say, giving him a sad shrug as my voice breaks a bit. "Those-those dreams are all the bad things that have happened to me. They are all the things that haunt me. And the clawing and scratching...it's a pain I've learned to fear. And in the nightmare I can't fight back. I think that's what scares me the most," I admit. He looks up at me.

"So you're terrified of not being able to protect yourself from these demons in your sleep?"

"I'm terrified of not being able to protect myself and the things I care about. Without my powers, I'm nothing? Who I am? Would I be able to keep myself safe? Would my parents be alive?" I take a deep breath in, trying to find my voice. "I'm scared of not being able to fix things. I fear I'm never going to get over the things that go wrong. Like last night. The images just keep replaying in my mind."

"It's okay to be afraid. No matter how magical we are, we still have the human parts of us. Fear is part of being human. And sometimes we can't protect ourselves, but that's okay but we have people that care about us," he says. I'm trying not to break down anymore. I bite my lip and look down. I hate this. I hate my emotions.

"Hey," Jax says, lightly grabbing my wrist. "You're aren't just nothing without your powers. You're still you." I know he means what he says. I know he cares. He makes me realize something.

My nightmares can't control me. My demons don't define who I am.

I regain my composure, straighten up, and give Jax a bad ass little smile.

"I have one other thing I want to do."

Emma

"Good morning, Emma. Today we have a few more tests to run, and we'll have the results by the end of the day. If all goes well, you will be out of here and back in you home by the end of the day," Dr. Goodkin tells me. I hope my results are what she's hoping for, because I'm already to leave this hospital. Andi is the only thing keeping me sane.

"Okay," I say flatly. She exits, and then a few minutes later a nurse comes in with her little box, making her way across the white hospital flooring in her hideous tan Crocs. She pulls out needles.

"Emma, I'm going to be giving you a few vaccines, a few basic ones, like for witch flu, but also one that helps fight any cells in your body that are carrying the Cross Syndrome virus. Most cross witches have cells that carry the disease, even if they don't infect the body. Then I'm going to take some blood. Are you alright with this, Emma?" She asks. I nod my head.

She gives me both shots in my left arm, and they make my arm really sore. Then she takes the blood, which leaves me feeling a teensy bit dizzy.

"When do you think they're going to be done with all these tests? When do you think we'll be able to get back to Miami?" I ask Andi.

"I don't know, Em, maybe tonight, if things go as planned." She looks down for a second. "Em, what if you have the disease?"

"I guess there is a chance of me getting it, but I really don't think I should be overly anxious and worried. That will just cause stress. I'm sure I'm fine," I say. I'm trying to convince myself.

Maybe this is all just cautionary. To be 100% sure, right? I'm the chosen one. I've never even gotten witch flu, and before a few minutes ago I'd never had a vaccine. I know Maddie's gotten it, and so did Jax when I was with him. I made him chicken soup and he kept trying to hold my hand or something but I was too worried he would infect me. He did up kissing me, but I never got sick. I guess I assumed I didn't get the witch flu.

Andi asks me about Daniel. "So tell me about the boyfriend. Spare all the really gushy stuff, though." She makes one of her classic faces.

"He's different," I begin. "He's changed. He's no longer the little boy who showed me around school when I first came here. He's grown up. He understands me better, he understands my needs. But at the same time he's still the Danny that tells me how beautiful I am and holds my hand extra hard when there's other people around..." I muse on about my boyfriend, but then realize what I'm doing and quickly stop.

"Sorry," I apologize.

"You're fine," Andi says, but I can tell she's not okay with it.

"No I'm not. It's not fair that I get all this wonderful stuff with my powers and Daniel, well except for this medical thing right now, but you deserve that, too! You deserve to be a human guardian. You deserve to find someone who loves you like Phillip did. And I'm sorry I can't give that to you, because I would in a heartbeat if I could," I say. Andi smiles at me.

"I know. Phillip was awesome, but at the same time, he wasn't real. I want something real. He was my fantasy, and I needed to let go of fantasy," she says in a very serious tone.

"That's very mature, Andi. Good for you," I say smiling.

"It's just part of growing up."

There's still a few more hours before we have the final consultation and I get the results, so we decide to marathon some more Grey's Anatomy. Andi always says how's she in it for the medical drama aspect, but I know she's secretly super invested in the relationship. She loves shipping, no matter how much she argues she doesn't know what an OTP is.

"Let's do something..." I say mischievously, raising my eyebrows with a huge smile on my face.

"I thought we were going to start season 8 of Grey's..." Andi says, giving me a questioning look.

"I wanna do something fun," I state, my mind bouncing around a mile a second.

"Marathoning GA isn't fun enough for you?" she jokes. I get out of my hospital bed and grab her hand.

"We're going exploring..." I drag her out the door, looking around to see no one in the corridor. I let go of Andi's hand, and take of running. Once I'm a few meters down the corridor, almost to the heart of this wing of the hospital, I stop and turn around. "You coming?"

Andi looks unsure at first, but slowly grows a smile and sprints down towards the end of hall. When she's near me, I take off again, rounding corners and taking turns to not only avoid any staff, but try and loose Andi. But she's too fast for my games, and eventually catches up. We find ourselves in the pediatric wing. When I see the name of the wing, however, I'm shocked. I recognize the person the wing is named after.

The Leon Novoa Pediatric Wing

Leon Novoa. Jax's uncle, Jake's brother. Why would the wing be named after him? Jax's father is rich, so maybe his uncle is, too. It's the most logical explanation. Andi sees the name, too.

"Novoa? Relative of Jax?"

"Uncle," I reply. "But I didn't know about this." A little girl, about 11 or 12 comes up to us. "Who are you?" she asks innocently.

"My name's Emma, and this is my friend Andi. Who are you?" I ask sweetly. She has a chin length, thin, blonde hair and stunning blue eyes.

"I'm Emily. Witch in Training," she states proudly.

"Cool! Nice to meet you, Emily. But why are you in a hospital? Where are you're parents?" I ask curiously.

"Somewhere around here."

"Well are you looking for them?"

"No. I'm just waiting for the doctors to get back with my results." She pulls up the sleeve of her sweatshirt and shows me the cotton coving the inside of her elbow, probably where blood was just drawn. "I have leukemia, blood cancer," she says. "Or maybe it's had. I don't know anymore. I was put in remission almost a year ago, but I'm still not in the clear. I'm here for a routine blood test. I'm here all the time for these kinds of things, but I've never seen you before...so why are you here?"

"I'm here because I'm getting tests to see if I have Cross Syndrome. Andi is here with me for support."

"Oh. One of my best friends from when I was in the hospital had CroSyds. It was hard to watch, almost as hard to watch as cancer. I hope you don't have it..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be fine," I reassure her. But there's still a chance I won't be fine, and I can tell by the look on Emily's face that she already knows this.

"Well, let's just hope things turn out good for the both of us," she says. "My first year at WITS Academy is this year. I'm missing training sessions for this. If I don't graduate because I'm sick...I don't know what I'll do. My dad is always hiring tutors to come and teach me while I'm in here, but I just wanna go back to the academy," she says somberly. I can tell she really loves magic, and she really cares about her training.

"You're from the academy? I dream of going there!" Andi chimes in.

"I think you're too old to be practicing magic there," Emily says.

"No, to be a guardian."

"Really? I'm looking forward to working with a guardian. My own personal protector and advisor...maybe they'd protect my from getting sick, too. But I'm positive guardian don't possess that ability." It's strange to see a little girl so acquainted with illness.

"Why don't they use magic to cure cancer?" Andi asks. Emily looks up at her, as though the answer is obvious.

"Because," Emily says, "they've tried that in the past. Magic has no effect on it. Yes, here in the magic hospital they use magic treatments, but they can't produce a cure. Magic doesn't have a firm grasp on human diseases, like some think. Injuries, magic can repair. But diseases like this? Or any types of magic diseases like CroSyds? Magic will never be the answer, never be the cure."

A announcement blasts over the intercom.

"Emma Alonso, you are needed in your room for consultation. Emma Alonso, please report back to your room immediately."

I look to Emily, "Sorry. We have to go. See you another time? And good luck, Emily. With the tests, and with the academy."

"Thanks, Emma. It was really nice meeting you." I give her a smile, then me and Andi rush back to room.

"Am I cleared to go yet?" I say impatiently as we enter the room.

"Please, sit down ladies," Dr. Goodkin says. I give her a puzzled look, but proceed to sit down on my bed, while Andi sits in the chair beside me.

"Emma," the doctor begins, "there's no easy way to put this. You know the risk you're at and the severity of the disease. Unfortunately, you're test results were positive for Cross Syndrome."

I shake my head in disbelief. "What?"

"You can't be serious," Andi says, mouth to the floor.

"We found that you carry the immature pathogens that cause Cross Syndrome all over your body. You'll need to check into the hospital and start treatments immediately, and we'll have to expose the Realm to your father, because he has to know about this."

Everything around me seems to go into slow motion, as if I'm in a movie, because this can't possibly be my real life. It hits me.

I'm sick. And...I could die. How long have I taken my health for granted? How long had I seen sick kids like Emily as just cute children with bad luck? How long had I been stupid enough to think I was coming out of here clean?

Will I even come out of here, or will I die before I ever see my home again?


End file.
